Dean Reacts to Messages Board Posts

Just for kicks, I pulled up a message board. It was one on ESPN that had a bunch of OU people debating issues relative to Wilson's situation with Mississippi State. I not only would never use any message board information, I generally feel many of these "wannabe" journalists who say their "sources" say this and their "sources say that" need to get a life.

I'd bet most of these "sources" are guys at a bar, folks who wanna one-up everyone else or know enough to be dangerous and throw in a large portion of hyperbole with their speculation from their "sources" and declare to know things that are not even close to the truth.

Yesterday, I kept reading where one of these guys claimed to be a good friend of Wilson's and that the coach had told him he had a contract offer of around $2.5 mill/year. Then the one-upping really gained momentum.

For those wannabes out there, let me give you some facts: One, it's this type of rumor mongering that drives coaches nuts. Two, that kind of nonsense makes coaches tend to lump these people in with the legit media who went to college, got a journalism degree, work long and hard for years and years to do the job right and source stories and report to the best of their ability. Three, this business is not as easy as many think. True pros report from a foundation of hard work, due diligence and complete conviction. At the end of the day the two things one seeks to attain are accuracy and fairness. Just two of the things these message board freaks don't quite get.

**Not all message boarders are loons. But just as "all" the media gets labeled "worthless scumbags" because many are not fair and accurate, it's easy to lump all message boarders together. I promise not to read another one for the rest of my days. Friends tell me that's a good idea and if I ever do that I should wear a flak jacket and enter at my own risk!